“Now,” said the Snow Man’s wife, “come right in and sit down where it is cool—­you look very hot.”

“Hot,” when the poor scholars were quite stiff with cold!  They looked at one another in dismay, but did not dare say anything.  They followed the Snow Man’s wife into her grand parlor.

“Come right over here by the north window where it is cooler,” said she, “and the children shall bring you some fans.”

The Snow Children floated up with fans—­all the Snow Man’s family had a lovely floating gait—­and the scholars took them with feeble curtesies, and began fanning.  A stiff north wind blew in at the windows.  The forest was all creaking and snapping with the cold.  The poor children, fanning themselves, on an ice divan, would certainly have frozen if the Snow Man’s wife had not suggested that they all have a little game of “puss-in-the-corner,” to while away the time before dinner.  That warmed them up a little, for they had to run very fast indeed to play with the Snow Children who seemed to fairly blow in the north wind from corner to corner.

But the Snow Man’s wife stopped the play a little before dinner was announced; she said the guests looked so warm that she was alarmed, and was afraid they might melt.

[Illustration:  PUSS-IN-THE-CORNER.]

A whistle, that sounded just like the whistle of the north wind in the chimney, blew for dinner, and Dame Penny’s scholars thought with delight that now they would have something warm.  But every dish on the Snow Man’s table was cold and frozen, and the Snow Man’s wife kept urging them to eat this and that, because it was so nice and cooling, and they looked so warm.

After dinner they were colder than ever, even.  Another game of “puss-in-the-corner” did not warm them much; they were glad when the Snow Man’s wife suggested that they go to bed, for they had visions of warm blankets and comfortables.  But when they were shown into the great north chamber, that was more like a hall than a chamber, with its walls of solid ice, its ice floor and its ice beds, their hearts sank.  Not a blanket nor comfortable was to be seen; there were great silk bags stuffed with snow flakes instead of feathers on the beds, and that was all.

“If you are too warm in the night, and feel as if you were going to melt,” said the Snow Man’s wife, “you can open the south window and that will make a draught—­there are none but the north windows open now.”

The scholars curtesied and bade her good-night, and she kissed them and hoped they would sleep well.  Then she trailed her splendid robe, which was decorated with real frost embroidery, down the ice stairs and left her guests to themselves.  They were frantic with cold and terror, and the little ones began to cry.  They talked over the situation and agreed that they had better wait until the house was quiet and then run away.  So they waited until they thought everybody must be asleep, and then cautiously stole